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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23013289">differences and expectations</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/arsonenthusiast/pseuds/arsonenthusiast'>arsonenthusiast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Splatoon, coroika - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aloha (and Straw) are Octolings, M/M, Rims is Agent 4, have fun, this is written because of a 2am au that I came up with</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:22:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,198</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23013289</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/arsonenthusiast/pseuds/arsonenthusiast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rims meets an octoling that's different from the rest. This is what happens next.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aloha/Half-Rim, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>CoroikaCollection</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>differences and expectations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>why am I starting another fic when I already have one going</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was supposed to be just another mission.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everything was going normally. You had the charger this time around, so actually it was going better than normal. You’ve always been good with chargers, so, although this wasn’t the Splatterscope you were accustomed to using, you were making your way through this mission pretty quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The moment when things started going outside of the norm is when you looked over a ledge to see a group of octolings running across the platform below you. They don’t notice you, which is odd because you’re definitely close enough for them to start targeting you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seems like they’re chasing something. Someone?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You sigh, ready your gun and snipe as many of the octoling soldiers as you can from the ledge before jumping down and taking care of the rest of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You think you see someone duck behind a barrier near the edge of the platform.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Marie’s voice sounds in your headphones.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s still someone over there. I’m going to go check it out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...okay. Be careful, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When have I ever not been careful?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, I can think of several occasions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...be quiet, I need to listen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She laughs a little bit but falls silent. You roll your eyes before submerging in your ink and swimming closer to the area where you saw the movement a few moments earlier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You hear something behind the barrier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ever so slowly, you walk closer and peek behind it, and you see an octoling crouching behind the barrier. It looks like they’re tinkering with something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Splat them,” Marie says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You ignore her. Something about this one seems… different, somehow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finish doing whatever they’re doing, look up, and see you. They scream and scramble backward, the thing that they were messing with ending up on the ground between you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You step out from behind the barrier to get a closer look at the thing on the ground. It looks like a pair of those weird glasses that the octolings wear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On impulse, you smash the glasses with your foot. The octoling jumps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You look up at them. It looks to be a boy, which immediately strikes you as a little odd, seeing as the only octolings you’ve seen up to this point have been girls. His tentacles are styled similarly to yours, and his ink color is noticeably different from the magenta that you’ve come to despise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You take in his expression. He looks absolutely terrified.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh yeah. You’re an inkling holding a gun. No wonder he’s scared of you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You slowly put your gun down, leaning it against the barrier next to you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?!” Marie says, incredulity dripping off of every syllable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look at him, Marie. He’s scared out of his mind. He doesn’t even have a weapon. He’s not going to hurt me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The octoling’s eyes follow your movements as you put the gun next to you, and he seems almost disbelieving. There’s a few moments after that where you’re just staring at each other, trying to figure out what the hell you’re supposed to do next.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This is interrupted by the sound of more octolings spawning nearby. You assume they’re coming to try and catch this one.  You pick up your gun, turn around, and pick off every single member of this new group, then turn back to the boy on the ground. Probably against your better judgement, you extend a hand to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,” you say, before remembering he probably doesn’t speak Inkling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Language barrier or not, he seems to get the picture. He hesitates for a moment, but takes your hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I really hope you know what you’re doing,” Marie says as you help him up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, so do I.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You lead him out from behind the barrier and bring him along throughout the rest of the mission, not hesitating to splat any octolings who came after you, until, finally, you make it to the zapfish. You break through the barrier and reclaim it, then look around for the exit. Holding the zapfish in one hand and the octoling’s hand in the other, you head toward the weird kettle transport… thing, and the octoling wordlessly turns into his octo form and hops in. You follow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the other side, in Octo Canyon, you leave the octoling to his own devices for a moment while you go give the zapfish to Marie. As you hand it over, she gives you a look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you seriously bring an octoling out here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You shift your position awkwardly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…Maybe so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m starting to seriously question your intelligence.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You roll your eyes at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have fun doing that, I guess.” You turn around and head back to where you left the octoling. He’s still standing right where you left him. Was he just waiting for you?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you help me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You blink in surprise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can speak Inkling?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Elites get more education than the average soldier,” he says. “Are you going to answer my question or not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You go silent for a moment, contemplating your answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…I would if I could, but I’m not sure myself,” is all you can come up with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh. Of course you’re not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re an inkling.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You stare at him in confusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What does that have to do with anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You shouldn’t have asked, because he immediately goes off on a long rant about how inklings are apparently inferior to octolings. You tune out his words, but you can still hear his voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His words have a slight accent to them. It’s quite pretty, if you’re being honest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where did you get all that from?” you ask once he finishes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Every Octarian knows it. It’s one of the first things we learn in school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…ah. Wonderful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That certainly explained some things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet you were taught the opposite about us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, he wasn’t wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fair enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A pause follows before you break the silence again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why were you trying to escape?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fair point, but there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…perhaps there is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t elaborate. You weren’t really expecting him to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you even think through what you were going to do when you made it out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really. I didn’t think I’d get this far.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You have to look away and stifle a laugh. The way he said that just struck you as hilarious for some reason.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shut up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You regain your composure and look back towards him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How’s this - I let you stay at my place for a little bit. You prove me wrong about everything I was taught about your kind, and I’ll leave you alone to do whatever you want. I prove you wrong, you tell me why you wanted to escape and let me help you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looks up at you in surprise. Somehow, you get the feeling that you just got a head start.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment of suspicious staring, he relents.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, then. It’s a deal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, cool. Now, let me show you where I live.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hesitantly, he grabs your hand, and you lead him away from everything he’s ever known.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ngl I had fun writing Aloha for this</p></blockquote></div></div>
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